Serendipity
A good while back Daughter Youngest (DY), after changing a burned out light bulb in her kitchen fixture, dropped the glass globe that diffuses the light from the two lamps. She didn't really drop it, just didn't properly mount it in the three holding screws. Which is another story, but the result was the same - broken glass. Luckily no one was in the kitchen when the globe finally fell and shattered.
I looked for a replacement. No luck. The 'big box' stores carry only a limited selection and dedicated lighting stores are hard to find (and not someplace I usually shop). So the fixture needed replacing. Since the bulbs still worked and provided light, there was no hurry.
At the end of October we (the Better Half (BH), DY, and I) had planned a hike in the upstate near DY to see the colors and a waterfall. The leaves weren't that colorful, but the waterfall was beautiful and the walk was wonderful. Pictures here. As fate would have it the day dawned with a lot of rain. The forecast was right on, but we'd made the trip anyway (spent the night Sunday to get an early start Monday) since we were also taking a dresser to DY that had not yet been moved (part of our house cleaning/organizing effort).
We had a good breakfast at a local diner, then went to a big box store and bought a replacement fixture. I instructed DY on the removal of the original fixture and the installation of the replacement. She did all the work. A lesson well learned.
I took the old fixture home for recycling. Recycling for me, many times, is re-using something or its parts somewhere else.
Here's the serendipity. While disassembling the fixture I discovered that the wires had heat damage*.
Here's a close-up. The 'good' part of the situation is that the cracked insulation would not be a problem unless disturbed and the wires touched.
The not so good news. This was a disaster waiting to happen. When I got to further disassembling - this time for 'real' recycling (separating metals, wire, plastics for proper disposal) - I found that the insulation was really brittle. The damage shown in the next picture is mostly the result of my dis-assembly and not how the wires were while the fixture was in-place. Still, the potential for disaster was there.
So it was a very good day all around. Had good company; saw a waterfall; had two good, local meals**; taught DY how to change a fixture; and averted disaster. Not a bad day's work.
gS
* In case you've ever wondered about the notice or warning on lighting fixtures not to use bulbs above a certain wattage. This is one of the reasons why the warning is there. Insulation on wires can only withstand a certain amount of heat. It's likely that a combination of heat and time is what caused the insulation break-down.
** The first meal was the already mentioned breakfast. The second was pizza, again at a locally owned restaurant.
I looked for a replacement. No luck. The 'big box' stores carry only a limited selection and dedicated lighting stores are hard to find (and not someplace I usually shop). So the fixture needed replacing. Since the bulbs still worked and provided light, there was no hurry.
At the end of October we (the Better Half (BH), DY, and I) had planned a hike in the upstate near DY to see the colors and a waterfall. The leaves weren't that colorful, but the waterfall was beautiful and the walk was wonderful. Pictures here. As fate would have it the day dawned with a lot of rain. The forecast was right on, but we'd made the trip anyway (spent the night Sunday to get an early start Monday) since we were also taking a dresser to DY that had not yet been moved (part of our house cleaning/organizing effort).
We had a good breakfast at a local diner, then went to a big box store and bought a replacement fixture. I instructed DY on the removal of the original fixture and the installation of the replacement. She did all the work. A lesson well learned.
I took the old fixture home for recycling. Recycling for me, many times, is re-using something or its parts somewhere else.
Here's the serendipity. While disassembling the fixture I discovered that the wires had heat damage*.
Here's a close-up. The 'good' part of the situation is that the cracked insulation would not be a problem unless disturbed and the wires touched.
The not so good news. This was a disaster waiting to happen. When I got to further disassembling - this time for 'real' recycling (separating metals, wire, plastics for proper disposal) - I found that the insulation was really brittle. The damage shown in the next picture is mostly the result of my dis-assembly and not how the wires were while the fixture was in-place. Still, the potential for disaster was there.
So it was a very good day all around. Had good company; saw a waterfall; had two good, local meals**; taught DY how to change a fixture; and averted disaster. Not a bad day's work.
gS
* In case you've ever wondered about the notice or warning on lighting fixtures not to use bulbs above a certain wattage. This is one of the reasons why the warning is there. Insulation on wires can only withstand a certain amount of heat. It's likely that a combination of heat and time is what caused the insulation break-down.
** The first meal was the already mentioned breakfast. The second was pizza, again at a locally owned restaurant.